What Happened After Steve Left Danny Standing In The Doorway
by kinkymastermind
Summary: I seldom felt the need to add anything to a scene. In this case, I did. There were many things left unspoken, and my muse was nagging me to come up with something. I don't say it's perfect or that's the way it should have been. I'm sharing my idea with you and hope you enjoy the addendum so that this scene wouldn't feel like an unfinished symphony. (Coda, Episode 7.25 fix-it)


Steve hurried outside. The tension that had built up inside of him was growing unbearable. Right in front of Danny, he had to be calm and strong, but when he discovered the devastated look on his friend's face, he had to leave quickly. Steve didn't want Danny to see him turning into a puddle of tears. What in the world had gotten into him? Once Steve started talking about the poisoning, he couldn't stop. Danny's presence and the worried looks he'd thrown at him had Steve share a burden he hadn't even realized was weighing on his best friend in such a way.

Steve sat down on the beach, watched the waves rolling in, and curled his toes in the sand. He had always known that there was this special bond between him and Danny. Untold wedding vows lingered between them since the first day they'd met: "I promise to laugh with you in good times and struggle alongside you in bad times. I promise to respect you and cherish you as an individual, a partner, and an equal, knowing that we do not complete, but complement each other. May we have many adventures and grow old together."

"Scratch the latter," Steve thought. How old is old? He barked out a fake laugh as tears stung in his eyes.

"So, you think you can drop that bombshell on me, and then leave?" Danny's raspy voice made Steve almost jump out of his skin.

"Danno? What the fuck are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to…?"

"Do what? Entertain the rest of the gang while you do the Houdini? Of course, that's what you would expect of me, to be the funny guy, to ignore the fact that you just told me that you probably wouldn't die of natural causes. We have saved a lot of people's lives, but you can watch yours go down the drain because of this fucking bomb, now?"

Danny pulled the chef's cap off his head and plopped next to him onto the sand. He pulled his knees to his chest and stared straight out at the ocean.

Steve was shocked about Danny showing up here and the speech he just gave him. He glanced sideways at him, trying to avoid fully staring at him.

"I can hear you, though you don't say a single word," Danny mused. "Did you think I would let you go like this? Yes, you're a SuperSeal, but you're not a soulless robot. Don't tell me that you're not affected by what your doctor has told you."

Danny turned his head in Steve's direction, "Aneurysm face, what else?" The blond detective threw his hands in the air.

Steve darted out his tongue and licked his lips while he searched for words.

"Listen, Danny. I didn't want to involve…"

Danny cut him short. "How could I not be involved, Steven? I have been fucking involved since the day we booked this insane trip. I thought I was going to die when you jumped out of that plane. I felt so humiliated being strapped to you like a toddler. You were cheering, while I had to hold it all together and not shit my pants."

Steve couldn't help but smile at Danny's vivid description.

"Don't laugh, Steven. How could I know that that was just the overture to what was coming next? I had no idea that we had been cast for Jumanji, Part 2."

"You have to admit it was quite a fun ride," Steve chimed in.

"A fun ride?" Danny gave him a wild look. "Are you fucking kidding me? I think we were in different places, and I must have missed all the fun! I remember how you wanted me to promise you that I would call my restaurant 'Steve's.' You didn't ask, you begged me or, better said, forced me to swear it to you. Who in the world would call his restaurant Steve's? By the way, somebody told me that it is a crappy idea to retire and open a restaurant."

Steve nodded, "Somebody told you that. And you gonna believe him?"

"It was a cop who told me about it, buddy," Danny explained.

"Oh, then it must be true," Steve said.

"Let's get back to the topic, Steven. What did you think when you told me the bad news and then just left?"

"Nothing?" Steve suggested.

"Nothing, exactly, it must have been that way. What are your options? I mean, didn't your doctor say something about options? For instance, didn't he mention healthy food or healthy living? Though you'd never listen to a bit of advice that comes along with the term 'healthy.'"

"Didn't I ask you for a drink or something, Danny?"

"Are you trying to distract me?" Danny snapped.

Steve put his hand on his friend's shoulder, "We didn't get into detail. We've only talked about what the next step will be. He said a few more words, but honestly, I didn't listen."

"Yes, because that is what you do when your doctor tells you about symptoms and side effects; you don't listen. You're going to take me with you on your next appointment, or maybe I should do your next appointment." Danny's voice sounded determined.

"Aren't you a little overreacting, Danno?"

"Do me a favor, Steven. Start taking things seriously. This is not just a cold. You will have to undergo scheduled examinations and tests. You have to listen to your body closely. You have to take it down a notch. No more Harakiri-Ninja-actions."

Silence.

Steve smiled, thankful that Danny was still able to talk to him as he always had. "What I wanted to know is what you would have done if you were in my position?"

"I had a feeling you'd expect something like that," Danny said, hesitantly, "But … I don't know, Steven. I really don't. I can't imagine getting such a diagnosis. To be honest, I don't think anyone can." He exhaled and drew little circles in the sand with his forefinger. "I wish you'd never told me."

"I probably shouldn't have. I had no right to burden you with that."

Danny shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that. I know you had to talk to someone about it, and I'm glad it was me. It's just that it made me feel terrible for what you've been going through. You're a leader; you do all the hard work, you risk your life on daily basis, you jump from bridges, you get injured, and most of the time, you don't talk about your feelings. It makes me sad that you don't allow anyone to take a look behind the curtain. I'm worried about you, Steven."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. I should be the one apologizing to you. I should have been around every time you needed to talk to someone, especially in the past few months. I was self-absorbed. My mind was and is spinning like a wheel. There's the thing with Rachel and her divorce, Gracie becoming a teenager and having dates, and Grover's son being a potential son in law. Then, there is me getting tired and thinking about retirement while I know deep down inside of me I don't want to quit."

"Danny, it's all right. I'm glad to have you as my partner. I look up to you, I really do. I want to know how you could manage the balance between your job and your personal life. You've great kids. You're always there for me. Sometimes, you babble like a waterfall, but you also know when it is time to just be there for me without uttering a single word."

"I feel so sorry for what you're going through. This time, I have nothing to offer that would make this fucking radiation poisoning go away." A tear rolled down Danny's cheek.

Steve slipped his arm around his friend's shoulders, "I know," he said.

Together, they sat in silence until Danny sighed. "I want you to know no matter what, I'm with you now, and I always will be, okay?"

Steve tried to collect his thoughts. "You know what? Since we met, I've always believed in you, though we didn't know each other. I was sure I could count on you. There's something uncanny about the way we are around each other. I mean everything – the way we look at each other, the way I relax when I feel your hand on my back, the way we seem to know what the other is thinking … It has always struck me as something special, something extraordinary."

Danny let Steve's words sink in. "So what's next?" he asked. "You need help with writing your last will?"

Despite the tension, he laughed. "Maybe later."

"You and I will do some research and find some alternative treatments or a voodoo priest or a Buddhist monk or whatever to help you through with whatever may come."

Steve massaged his temples, feeling unbearably tired. "Yeah, great," he said, "I'd like that."

"Hey …" Danny gave him a little shake. "You made the right decision about telling me everything. Don't feel guilty. We've been through a lot, and we will keep on fighting. Having each other's backs is not a hollow phrase."

"I know, but …" Steve couldn't finish the sentence. The past was gone, and the future had to unfold. His day-to-day existence suddenly didn't strike him any longer as endless and unbearable as long as he had Danny by his side. Nonetheless, he had his doubts.

"I'm scared," Steve finally admitted.

"I know," Danny said, pulling his friend close. "I'm scared, too." - The End


End file.
